Florence vs Sofia

Florence and Sofia are level on the CIRA Index at 58. Florence grades better on 9 measures, Sofia on 11; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Florence 58, Sofia 58
• OECD: Florence 58, Sofia 56
• UN Tourism: Florence 61, Sofia 55
• UNDRR: Florence 56, Sofia 56

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Florence 54, Sofia 45
• Economy and jobs: Florence 92, Sofia 83
• Climate and hazards: Florence 55, Sofia 65
• Water and environment: Florence 56, Sofia 44
• Community and housing: Florence 42, Sofia 58
• Access and continuity: Florence 63, Sofia 63

Where Florence is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 34.6 % of annual nights (metro figure) (Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Statistica del Turismo - Movimento Turistico, 2023). Between 30 and 35: grade 3/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 76.3 % average annual occupancy (Italian Hotel Monitor (Trademark Italia) via GuidaViaggi, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Income per head: 61,826 GDP per capita, USD PPP (metro figure) (OECD Functional Urban Areas (Metropolitan Areas Database), 2021). At or above 60,000: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 99 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (metro figure) (Publiacqua (Water Utility of Metropolitan Florence), 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -13.8 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Idealista, Evoluzione del prezzo delle case in affitto, Firenze, August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Government effectiveness: 77.8 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 60 and 80: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Comune di Firenze, Regolamento per l'applicazione dell'imposta di soggiorno, 2024). Grade 3/4.

Where Sofia is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 33.9 % of nights by residents of the same country (region figure) (Eurostat / National Statistical Institute (NSI) of Bulgaria, table [tour_occ_nin3], 2024). Between 25 and 35: grade 2/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 114.9 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (National Statistical Institute (NSI) Bulgaria, District Sofia (Stolitsa) Regional Statistics & City Statistics, 2024). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 4.7 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI), Annual statistics on employment and labour costs - 2024, 2024). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 5 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 7.6 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 488 kg per resident per year (country figure) (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Eurostat, 2022). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Green space: 26.9 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (NATURVATION / European Commission Urban Atlas, 2012). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Tourism intensity: 1.8 visitor nights per resident per year (region figure) (National Statistical Institute (NSI) of Bulgaria, District Sofia (Stolitsa), 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 0.6 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (metro figure) (AirDNA and Eurostat / National Statistical Institute (NSI) Bulgaria Census, 2025–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Sofia Municipal Council / Municipal Enterprise 'Tourism', 2024–2025). Grade 1/4.
• Travel advisory: 1 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). At or below 1: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Italy: #10 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Bulgaria: #39 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Florence in full · Sofia in full

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